The present invention relates to various forms of finger movement actuated communications devices, particularly hand-held communication devices, suitable for both one-way communication in the manner of a keyboard, and two-way communication where the user in addition receives communications via the sense of touch. Embodiments of the invention are particularly adapted for use by persons who are speechless, deaf and speechless, or even blind, deaf and speechless.
Some embodiments of the invention are useful in hostile environments, such as where the user must wear gloves.
Keyboards are communication devices or, more correctly, human-to-machine interface devices, used in numerous situations. In addition to typewriters, keyboards are commonly employed to communicate to computers, word processors, and to remote locations. A keyboard is intended to be operated by touch alone; a skilled operator need not look at the keyboard to operate it.
While conventional keyboards serve their purpose quite well in many applications, they are not without drawbacks and limitations. Significant limitations of conventional keyboards are their size and the need to employ two hands for conventional touch typing at any reasonable speed. There are currently available portable, so-called "lap" computers whose size appears to be primarily limited by the minimum size required to support a standard keyboard and a display window, such as a liquid crystal display.
Thus, various alternatives have previously been proposed. For example, Kroczynski U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,424 discloses a hand-secured pushbutton control device which has pushbuttons at various positions and responsive to various finger movements for performing various control functions.
As another example, Learn U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,238 discloses a hand-held data entry unit including a handle with four pushbutton switches respectively corresponding to four rows of an attached matrix type display which is scanned during operation and visually observed by the user. Thumb switches are also included which act as "shift" keys.
In the particular context of devices for aiding handicapped persons, a variety of communication devices have been proposed and employed. Thus, an example of what is termed a matrix communicator is disclosed in Dufresne U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,521. Typical examples of hand-held devices for such purposes are disclosed in Salmon U.S. Pat. No. 4,075,621; Gerstenhaber U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,779, and Whittlestone et al U.K. Pat. No. 1,475,886.
Related devices for two-way communication have also been proposed. For example, Crimmins, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,939 discloses a device having finger pushbutton switches with solenoids connected for moving the button to demonstrate particular sequences to a person. Hirsch U.S. Pat. No. 2,972,140 discloses a pushbutton communication device in which pushbutton keys have vibrators to provide tactile stimulation.
The present invention provides a particularly compact finger movement actuated communication device which effectively responds to push and thrust motions of the fingers of a user's hand, referenced to the metacarpal portion of the user's hand. As described hereinbelow with reference to FIG. 1, push motions of a finger may be viewed as reflecting a distal function, and thrust motions may be viewed as reflecting a proximal function.